My brother and I kept hounds for a number of years. At any time we'd have a few beagles, a few coonhounds and a dozen or more running hounds for fox and coyote hunting. Those days, we got our dog food made up at the feed mill by the ton. One of the dog supply houses had a formula and they sold a mix to provide the vitamins and minerals. It worked okay. We'd supplement it whenever one of the local farmers gave us a dead calf.
Today I only feed three dogs. I feed a grain-free, high-protein dog food made with completely North American sourced ingredients that costs about a hundred bucks for a 28.5 pound bag (delivered to my door.)In my opinion it's worth every penny. One bag lasts my Chessie and the two little house dogs (7 pound papillions) a month. They are all rock hard with brilliant dense coats. I will put my Chessie up against any retriever as far as speed, strength and endurance. When he's been in for his annual check up my vet has told me that he's in the top one percent of the dogs he sees with regard to health and fitness. I have been around too many dogs of too many kinds for too many years not to know that what you feed a dog matters.
Maybe a little off topic, but I am completely opposed to getting a dog castrated. The vets tend to push it because it's a quick, easy couple of hundred bucks (in this market) and almost guarantees the dog with have recurring health problems that will keep them coming back. There was a time no one thought about just routinely removing a major part of a dog's endocrine system and in those days you seldom saw all these autoimmune problems, diabetes, cancers and other maladies that it seems so many people with their "neutered" dogs are continually shelling out money to treat. Combine that with a diet of meat meal and who knows what else that comes over from China by the shipload and you've got a guaranteed recipe for canine health disaster.
End of rant.
